NYS Senator Eric Adams Introduces the “Veteran Friendly Campuses” Program to the Metropolitan New York Area

NYS Senator Eric Adams, Chair Of The Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee, Introduces the “Veteran Friendly Campuses” Program to the Metropolitan New York Area

NYS Senator Eric Adams sponsors a symposium at Medgar Evers College to introduce the “Veteran Friendly Campuses” program, an initiative that raises awareness of the challenges faced by veterans in higher education and presents methodology for addressing issues affecting the college-based veteran population.

Senator Adams’ statement: “The New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs recently presented its highly effective ‘Veteran Friendly Campuses’ program to me and requested my help in introducing it to every campus in the Brooklyn/Queens area. In order to acquaint everyone with this wonderful project, I am sponsoring this conference to describe a fantastic initiative that highlights the challenges veterans encounter in higher education and offers a practical line of attack for addressing the specific problems confronting the college-based veteran population.

“Despite strong tuition assistance, veterans experience an elevated college drop-out rate. This failure to retain former military personnel can be attributed in great part to an inadequate campus support system to assist the transition of veterans from military to civilian student life. Many veterans experience feelings of disconnection and alienation from the rest of the student population. Further, a majority of colleges and universities do not yet have the tools to integrate veterans effectively into the student body or implement the many benefits of the recently enacted 9/11 GI Bill. Although the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has projected a 20% increase in the absolute number of veterans who will use GI benefits for education in the coming academic year, many men and women leave military service unaware of the full range of benefits to which they are entitled.

“Please join me in taking this first step to improve our campuses for those men and women who have given so much for our State and our nation. There will be opportunities to meet representatives from the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs and to conduct a dialogue with other administrators about veterans’ issues in higher education. Together, we can eradicate the obstacles facing veterans and ensure that they achieve success in our colleges and universities.”